VIDEO: Mariner jacket sails away from Spain to UK North Sea

Offshore Energy Today recently reported that the steel jacket for Statoil-operated Mariner A platform had sailed away from Dragados Offshore’s yard in Cádiz, Spain, heading for the field in the UK sector of the North Sea.

The operator of the Mariner field, Norwegian oil giant Statoil, published a video of the jacket sailaway.

The jacket left on August 10, 2015, after two years of construction. This is the largest steel jacket ever built for a Statoil project measuring 134 metres in height and with a footprint of 88 x 62 metres. The weight is 22,400 tonnes including floatation tanks and rigging.

According to Statoil’s Project Director for Mariner facility development, Thomas Bernt, the jacket “has to be big because it’s supposed to carry a huge topside with a total operating weight of 52,000 tonnes”. 

The 1835-nautical mile journey from the southern part of Spain to the Mariner field in the North Sea is expected to take around two weeks. The field lies at water depths ranging between 97m and 112m. It is located approximately 130km off the British coast and 40km northwest from the UK / Norway international boundary.

After it has arrived at the field, the jacket will be launched by the barge being ballasted to a certain angle, enabling the 22,400-tonne structure to slide horizontally into the sea. Subsequently, the structure will be upended and maneuvered into the right position by the heavy-lift vessel Saipem 7000. Finally, the jacket will be secured by 24 piles.

Offshore Energy Today Staff

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